Herman Hollerith
Inventor of the punched-card tabulating machine and founder of a company that became IBM
- Lived
- 69 yrs
- 1860 – 1929
- Works listed
- 1
- Invention
- Honours
- 2
- Most recent 1990
- Profile views
- 3
- 0 followers
Herman Hollerith was an American inventor who created an electromechanical machine that tabulated data from punched cards, first used for the 1890 US census. His Tabulating Machine Company merged with others in 1911 to form the company later renamed IBM.
Biography
Census work
Hollerith studied at the Columbia School of Mines and worked for the US Census Bureau on the 1880 census, which took about eight years to tabulate by hand.
The tabulator
Inspired partly by railway conductors punching tickets, he designed a system in which each person’s details were punched as holes in a card. Electrical contacts through the holes advanced counters. He patented it in 1889.
The 1890 census
His machines processed the 1890 census in about a year, saving years of work and millions of dollars. Governments in Europe and Canada soon adopted them.
Founding IBM’s ancestor
He founded the Tabulating Machine Company in 1896. In 1911 it merged into the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company, which Thomas J. Watson renamed International Business Machines (IBM) in 1924. Hollerith died in 1929.
Timeline
-
1860
Born in Buffalo, New York, United States
-
1879
Joins the US Census Bureau
-
1889
Patents his tabulating system
-
1890
Machines used for the US census
-
1896
Founds the Tabulating Machine Company
-
1911
Merger forms CTR
-
1924
CTR renamed IBM
-
1929
Dies in Washington
-
1929
Died, aged 69
Notable works
-
1889
Hollerith tabulating machine Invention
Awards and honours
-
Elliott Cresson Medal
1890
-
National Inventors Hall of Fame
1990
Did you know?
-
1
Punched cards were often called “Hollerith cards”.
-
2
The 1890 census count was announced within weeks.
-
3
His card size matched the old US dollar bill.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Herman Hollerith?
Herman Hollerith was an American inventor who created an electromechanical machine that tabulated data from punched cards, first used for the 1890 US census. His Tabulating Machine Company merged with others in 1911 to form the company later renamed IBM.
When did Herman Hollerith die?
Herman Hollerith died on 17 November 1929 at the age of 69.
Where is Herman Hollerith from?
Herman Hollerith was born in Buffalo, New York, United States.
What is Herman Hollerith known for?
Herman Hollerith is best known for Punched-card tabulator for the 1890 US census; Tabulating Machine Company (later IBM).
What awards has Herman Hollerith received?
Notable honours include Elliott Cresson Medal (1890), National Inventors Hall of Fame (1990).
References
- Herman Hollerith — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Herman Hollerith — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Herman Hollerith (Q192145) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Herman Hollerith”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Herman Hollerith.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/herman-hollerith
Discussion 0
Sign in or create an account to join the discussion.
No comments yet — be the first.
More in Technology
F. C. Kohli
First CEO of Tata Consultancy Services, father of India’s IT industry
1924 – 2020
Technology
Thomas Edison
Prolific American inventor of the phonograph, practical light bulb and motion-picture camera
1847 – 1931
Technology
Robert Bosch
German engineer who founded Bosch and pioneered the car magneto
1861 – 1942
Technology
J. Presper Eckert
Co-inventor of ENIAC and UNIVAC, the first general-purpose electronic computers in the US
1919 – 1995
Technology
Kōnosuke Matsushita
Founder of Panasonic, Japan’s “god of management”
1894 – 1989
Technology
Werner von Siemens
German inventor and industrialist who founded Siemens
1816 – 1892